7 Readers’ Choice Award-winning St. Louis patios
Maybe it’s our warm climate, or maybe it’s St. Louis’ German forebears’ love of Biergartens – whatever the reason, our city loves eating and drinking outdoors. Here are some of your favorite patios to post up on. Vin de Set Favorite Happy Hour (honorable mention), Favorite Patio (tie, honorable mention), Favorite Romantic Spot (third)2017 Chouteau…
Rockwell Beer Garden brings new pizza-centric program to Francis Park
Local craft brewer Rockwell Brewing Co. has tapped chef Michael Petres to spearhead the food program at their new beer garden, located in Francis Park. The new location should be open in six to eight weeks following extensive renovations to a park building, a “comfort center” located adjacent to the park’s tennis and newly added…
Restaurant relief rollout leaving business owners in limbo following lawsuits, lack of funds
On May 18, Kateri Meyer, owner of Traveling Tea in Maplewood, got an email saying that she was approved to receive funding from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). She breathed a sigh of relief, but the money never came. When the RRF was signed into action as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 on March…
St. Louis restaurateurs talk new mask mandates and requiring vaccination cards to dine indoors
Earlier this week, on Monday, July 26, city and county representatives held a joint press conference to inform local citizens that masks would once again be required in public indoor spaces and on public transportation. “The delta variant has thrown us a curveball – it’s highly transmissible,” said St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page;…
6 Readers’ Choice Award-winning St. Louis-made spirits
With new players in the game and several award-winning spirits under its belt, St. Louis’ distillery scene shows no sign of slowing down. Here are six iconic bottles from your Favorite Local Distilleries. Switchgrass Spirits Rye WhiskeyFollow Brasserie by Niche’s bartenders’ example and use this bold, complex rye in a Sazerac; their recipe uses simple…
Mac’s Local Eats, Bluewood Brewing: it’s complicated
Update, Jul. 29, 4:25 p.m.: In a Jul. 29 Facebook post, Mac’s Local Eats disputed the claim that they would cease operations after Aug. 3. “We are actively looking for a larger location as we continue to grow, but we do NOT plan to cease operations after August 3rd,” the post reads in part. Read…
10 reasons to buy all your booze at Randall’s Wines & Spirits
You voted Randall’s Wines & Spirits your Favorite Bottle Shop. We love it too. Here’s why. 1. The variety is great. In one trip, you can find a really nice scotch, score a rare bourbon, restock your favorite mezcal, grab some dope craft beer for the weekend and snag a box or two of White…
What I Do: Mac’s Local Eats owner Chris “Mac” McKenzie
Mac’s Local Eats relocated in September 2019 from its original spot inside Dogtown’s Tamm Avenue Bar to bigger facilities inside Bluewood Brewing in Benton Park. Instead of needing time to grow into the new digs, owner Chris “Mac” McKenzie quickly realized demand for his smash burgers was already outpacing what his newly expanded kitchen could…
New restaurant Commonwealth to open in Angad Arts hotel in August
In mid to late August, a new concept will occupy the ground floor of the Angad Arts Hotel (3550 Samuel Shepard Dr.) in the space that previously held Grand Tavern. The restaurant, Commonwealth, aims to serve “modern European cuisine” from over 54 countries and to explore “the rich history of the British Commonwealth countries,” according…
St. Louis City and County reinstate mask mandate in response to delta variant surge
Last Friday, July 23, the city of St. Louis issued a press release stating that starting today, July 26, the city and county would again require masks to be worn in indoor public places and on public transportation. The mandate is in response to a surge in the delta variant of the coronavirus, which is…
Readers’ Choice Bartender of the Year Jacob Smith’s favorite Old-Fashioned recipe
Readers’ Choice Bartender of the Year Jacob Smith has been behind the bar at a unique array of spots, including The Curtain Call Lounge at The Fabulous Fox Theatre, Gamlin Whiskey House and Angad Arts Hotel, where working under Meredith Barry, he explored craft cocktails more deeply. Last September, he signed on at Blood &…
9 fabulous patios (mostly) in Lafayette Square
The beautiful historical district of Lafayette Square may be small, but it boasts a mighty repertoire of businesses, from a lauded cocktail bar and a legendary wine spot to a few killer date night locations. The brunch and lunch games here are also strong; in fact, you can get through a whole day’s worth of…
Rootberry, a plant-based meal delivery service, has launched in St. Louis
As meal delivery services become more and more popular, a new plant-based option has entered the chat as Rootberry is officially live. The service offers a menu of around 30 vegan dishes, which can be delivered to customers in the city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Two years in production,…
3 meals that changed St. Louis chef David Sandusky’s life
David Sandusky went from culinary school graduate and ministry school dropout to fine dining chef to barbecue titan. His fledgling barbecue empire of Beast restaurants is growing, and the latest, Beast Southern Kitchen & BBQ, is this year’s Readers’ Choice Favorite New Restaurant. “I just wanted to do some fun shit. Barbecue was a natural…
Nonprofit Marsh Cooperative will open grocery store in south St. Louis this weekend
Nonprofit organization Materializing and Activating Radical Social Habitus (MARSH) Cooperative is launching its own storefront grocery beginning this Saturday, July 24. Measuring just over 1,000 square feet and located at 6917 S. Broadway in the Carondelet neighborhood of South City, Marsh Grocery will offer a full range of accessibly priced grocery items, including organic produce.…
6 Readers’ Choice award-winning St. Louis ramen picks
Shroomed Out | Nudo HouseRaise your eyebrows all you want when we tell you the MVP of the menu at Nudo House – your Readers’ Choice pick for Favorite Ramen – is the vegetarian Shroomed Out. The rich, creamy mushroom broth boasts layers of addictive umami flavor. Tender slices of king oyster mushroom, sweet, tangy…
Tradicional 314 will offer authentic Mexican cuisine in Creve Coeur in August
Tradicional 314 is slated to open in August at 810 N. New Ballas Road in the former home of Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, bringing authentic, homestyle Mexican cuisine to Creve Coeur, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. Back in 2018, Manuel Ornelas opened Tradicional 636 in St. Charles with his business partner, Marco Enriquez, who is also the…
After years of development, City Foundry STL’s food hall will open next month
Following years of planning and restaurateur changes, as well as setbacks due to the pandemic, St. Louis’ newest food hub will finally go live when City Foundry STL (3730 Foundry Way) in Midtown opens the doors to its food hall on Wednesday, Aug. 11. The announcement came in the form of a press release sent…
John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub & Garden is a St. Louis landmark
When John. D. McGurk’s Irish Pub & Garden opened in 1978, it was just a one-room pub in a refurbished row house on the corner of Russell Boulevard and 12th Street in Soulard. Irish pubs were particularly popular in St. Louis at the time, and owner Jim Holloran and his family decided to go all…
Nobu’s Japanese Restaurant has closed in University City and will reopen in the Delmar Loop later this year
One of St. Louis’ oldest sushi restaurants is moving to a new location in a few months. Nobu’s Japanese Restaurant, which was located at 8643 Olive Blvd. in University City from 1990 until this June, will soon reside at 6253 Delmar Blvd. in the Loop in the same building as United Provisions. The new spot…
Eat this black garlic bread at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria
The black garlic bread at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria is an unfussy pizza-style dish with minimal but perfect ingredients. Fermented black garlic with its sweet and sour notes, sweet roasted garlic and pungent sliced fresh garlic, set against a backdrop of milky burrata and pizza dough speckled with pockets of air and charred crust,…
Wine bar and bottle shop Grand Spirits Bottle Co. is slated to open on South Grand in September
Natural wine lovers will soon have a new spot to get their fix. Michael Fricker, former executive sous chef of Cinder House, plans to open a wine bar and bottle shop called Grand Spirits Bottle Co. in early September at 3194 S. Grand Blvd. in Tower Grove South, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. Fricker…
5 great Italian salads in St. Louis
While the Italian salad is a popular dish in most St. Louis Italian restaurants, it’s not always clear what you’re getting when you order one. That’s because “Italian salad” doesn’t denote a specific group of ingredients as much as it points to a philosophy of preparing and serving light, palate-cleansing courses. Italian salads boast an…
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Tower Grove Park was significantly damaged in a storm and needs your help to recover
St. Louis’ beloved Tower Grove Park – home of Sauce Magazine’s Food Truck Friday, the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market and many more events – sustained significant damage in a storm that passed through in the early morning of Saturday, July 10. The damage, which included 40 mature trees, led to the closure of the Saturday morning farmers market, meaning the…
Timothy’s The Restaurant will open in Creve Coeur in August
Early next month, Creve Coeur will become home to a brand new American fine dining restaurant when Timothy’s The Restaurant opens at 12710 Olive Blvd., in the old Olive Street Cafe space. The Restaurant will be owned by Tim Metz and Sean Olson, who also own popular local sandwich chain Pickles Deli. This will be…
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Saucy Soirée returns to St. Louis Union Station on Sunday, July 18
After a year off due to the pandemic, Sauce Magazine is thrilled to announce the return of Saucy Soirée, the grand tasting party for the annual Sauce Readers’ Choice issue. This year’s event will take place from 3 to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 18, at the historic Union Station in downtown St. Louis. The Saucy…
First Look: Mezcaleria Las Chupacabras in Richmond Heights
A new restaurant and bar specializing in the agave spirit mezcal is now open. Mezcaleria Las Chupacabras debuted in late June at 25 The Boulevard in Richmond Heights in the former home of P.F. Chang’s. The interior has been completely revamped with bold murals and colorful seating inside, and the large patio space includes a covered…
Sauce seeks editorial interns for fall 2021
Attention journalism, communications and English students: Sauce Magazine is seeking both remote and in-person editorial interns for fall 2021. We need students with a passion for the St. Louis food scene who want to translate that love to print and online media. As a Sauce editorial intern, you will: • Assist Sauce editorial team with the production…
Made. by Lia’s Lia Holter has sweet dreams
When Lia Holter left for New York City in February 2014 to compete on TLC’s Next Great Baker, she didn’t know if she would be gone for two days or two months. In fact, until that point, she hadn’t even expected to get on the plane. But after an intensive interview process involving personality questionnaires,…
Westport Social is St. Louis’ favorite games bar
Westport Social has become a West County mainstay for a fun night out with friends and was voted Readers’ Choice 2021 Favorite Games Bar for good reason. Here’s what it takes to keep the drinks flowing and the balls rolling. 13,500 square feet 9 classic games 1,205 ping pong balls lost 90,001 baskets made in…
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How to incorporate cannabis into your next backyard barbecue
Summer has finally arrived and, with it, barbecue season. If you’re a medical marijuana patient, there’s never been a better time to learn how to incorporate cannabis into your next grilling session. Swade Dispensary, with four locations currently open in the St. Louis area and one more in the works, will soon offer a new…
Missouri will allow restaurants to offer to-go cocktails permanently
Last spring, restaurants pivoting to to-go cocktails while dining rooms were shuttered suffered a devastating blow after learning that it was actually illegal to sell alcohol in this way and that the government aimed to enforce this. But local figures like Adam Tilford of Mission Taco Joint fought back, lobbying to make carryout cocktails temporarily legal…
El Sitio will open in the former Llywelyn’s space in the Central West End this summer
A cafe and bar serving dishes from Mexico, Colombia and St. Louis is slated to open this August. El Sitio will be located in the former Llywelyn’s space at 4747 McPherson Ave. in the Central West End. Owners Hector Flores and Diana Salas decided it was time to open their own restaurant after they became…
3 new St. Louis restaurants to try this month
Bolyard’s Meat & ProvisionsBolyard’s Meat & Provisions has moved into larger digs down the street and now features an expanded menu with a range of creative offerings. Don’t be fooled by the butcher shop surroundings – the delightful spring salad comes with locally grown greens tossed generously in a preserved lemon dressing accompanied by grilled…
10 wonderful patios in the Central West End
Everybody loves the Central West End, which is due in no small part to its hugely diverse community of restaurants and bars. There you can fuel up with coffee at Northwest, hit up Taste for cocktails and snacks, walk down the street to get a margarita and guacamole at El Burro Loco, and finish by…
2021 Sauce Readers’ Choice Winners
Every year, we invite our readers to vote on their favorite local places to eat, drink and shop. Despite a challenging period for businesses that had to constantly adapt during the pandemic, restaurants continue to prove that our city’s dining landscape is vibrant and varied. Though we said farewell to many beloved places, it’s exciting…
Smoke N Bones BBQ is now open on Hampton Avenue in south St. Louis
A new barbecue joint has joined South City’s roster of meat-centric restaurants. Smoke N Bones BBQ opened at 6417 Hampton Ave. in St. Louis Hills in late June, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. Owner Aaron Machado runs the restaurant alongside his father, Enrique Machado, who has been in the barbecue restaurant industry since the…
